The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has announced the preservation of Florida farmland through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP). Nearly 750 acres of the Pelaez and Sons, Inc. cow/calf operation in Okeechobee County is being preserved through a rural land protection easement for $2,675,000.
Pelaez and Sons, Inc. is a family owned and operated cow/calf operation raising commercial Brangus cattle in Okeechobee County. The Pelaez Family began ranching in 1953 and operate a high-quality cattle operation that is well respected throughout the agricultural community. They manage 900 head of commercial Brangus cattle on their ranch and are a licensed producer of Florida Heritage Beef LLC. The landscape of Pelaez and Sons is primarily composed of improved pasture, but the ranch preserves much native land including hardwood hammocks and pinewood ledges. Towering live oaks are cherished at the ranch along with the many sable palms and pines, sheltering much native flora and fauna, including bald eagles, kestrels, crested caracara, turkey, and whitetail deer, as well as native bromeliads, ferns, and air plants. This project was purchased in conjunction with The Department of Defense’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program.
“We are proud to partner with Pelaez and Sons to preserve an additional 750 acres of working Florida farmland through the department’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. The department’s delegated authority to process these types of rural land acquisitions has been a tremendous aid to achieving our agricultural conservation goals quickly and efficiently – and we look forward to preserving a historic amount of larger acreage properties at the next Cabinet meeting,” said Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson . “By safeguarding our rural lands through protection easements, we enhance food security, maintain these protected properties within the local tax system, and ensure property owners adhere to state standards for land and natural resource conservation.”
The RFLPP purchases the development rights to the agricultural properties through voluntary rural land protection easements, which prevent the future development of the land and allow agriculture operations to continue to contribute to Florida’s economy and the production of food, timber, and other resources vital to the prosperity of Florida.
A story map of all completed RFLPP projects can be viewed by clicking here.